Our Lady of Candles Cathedral also known as the Jaro Cathedral is one of the most visited churches in Iloilo City. Jaro Cathedral, formally Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro. [Wikipedia]. It’s nearer than the most old heritage church in Iloilo City. During my first visit in Iloilo City last 2014, I missed visiting this church which is actually just very near our accommodation that time. Good thing in my recent trip with the CFC-Singles For Christ Pre-Icon activity we visited Jaro Church.
History: [Source: Explore Iloilo]
The Jaro Cathedral (Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary) was built in 1864, the year the district was named a diocese by Pope Pius the IX, by order of His Grace Mariano Cuartero, first bishop of Jaro. Destroyed in the quake of January 1948 and restored by order of His Excellency Jose Ma. Cuenco, first Archbishop of Jaro in 1956. The cathedral’s style is primarily Baroque, with the addition of Gothic elements over many renovations.
The Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Lady of the Candles) is the only rose among the all-male collection of statues which line the walls of the cathedral’s interiors. The Lady of Candles is perched on a glass-encased shrine carved out of the facade. The limestone is said to be continuously growing, and in fact had become too large to fit into its original niche just above the present one.
Her shrine is often visited by many devotees who believe the statue to be miraculous. This 400-year-old image is the focus of an annual Jaro Fiesta held every February 2.
The Jaro Cathedral is the first and only cathedral in Panay built in 1864. Patriot and orator, Graciano Lopez Jaena was here on December 20, 1856.
A high point in the history of the cathedral was the visit of Blessed Pope John Paul II, who conducted a mass on February 21, 1981. He set a crown upon the Lady of the Candles and declared it the Patroness of the Western Visayas.
Address: Jaro, Iloilo City, 5000 Iloilo
Phone: (033) 337 2258
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival architecture
Archdiocese: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro
Style: Romanesque Revival